1812 The Rivers of War

In 1814, as the War of 1812 rages, Andrew Jackson has trapped the Creek religious extremists known as the Red Sticks at a place known as Horseshoe Bend, in leading the charge up the impressive barricade erected by them a young Sam Houston is not shot in the groin, enabling him to win much glory and go on a special mission to Washington.

This copy was provided by Baen for review purposes. I give you 1812: The Rivers of War, by Eric Flint.

In reading and reviewing this piece, I actually found it hard to do. Only recently has the late, great Eric Flint left us, and he was a titan of the alternate history genre. I was, in fact, originally drawn to this piece years ago but had only read some of his short fiction at first. In writing the review of this republishing of an underappreciated piece of alternate history, I am also writing it as a tribute to the skills of this fantastic author.

The story starts, as described, with a vivid telling of the historical Battle of Horseshoe Bend in the crushing of the British allied Red Stick movement in the latter part of the War of 1812. Jackson wins a resounding victory, but a young lieutenant who had taken up a place in his command is not wounded. So far as divergences from history go, this is not the biggest, but the ripples from here spread out far and wide, with quite startling consequences. From an inauspicious beginning, the story branches out to include a colorful cast of historic characters, and a few fictional ones. 

In the second part we are treated to an in depth look at Winfield Scott's invasion of Canada in 1814 with an excellent depiction of the Battle of Chippewa, which introduces us to perhaps the most important secondary character, Irish sergeant, and British hater, Patrick Driscol. He provides an excellent grounds eye view to many action scenes, and is an invaluable source of knowledge for young Sam Houston. Also a compelling character in his own right, the sergeant is an excellent character for us to see the horrors of war and hatred through, and he doesn't stint about the battered state of his soul either.

What may shock many readers is that, in the broad strokes, there is not too much which changes in history across the year 1814 in this story. In the broad picture things are very similar, but in the fine details a lot changes thanks to one seemingly trivial event which cascades into greater changes down the line. It is in these fine details though, where the story shines. Using both historical knowledge and his own characters he weaves a detailed image of life in the 1810s from class to class, from the faction ridden ranks of the early United States Army, to the occasionally confusing and confounding peoples of the Creek Confederacy. 

This attention to detail is deep and merciless. Characters vent their prejudices whether they be racial or class, and in one sentence a man can criticize the Creek as barbarians while then claiming the United States is little better in its own dealings. Flint is no wide eyed idealist, and he portrays history in a refreshing warts and all attitude, without bias for either side of this multifaceted conflict which I found immensely refreshing. The man knows his history from dress to events, and he does a magnificent job selling it.

Aside from portraying fun history, he also does a wonderful job showcasing action. From small skirmishes to epic battles between American militia and British regulars, Flint shows off historical knowledge with visceral descriptions of combat in scenes of terror and pulse pounding action. Knowing history, not once did I read a line and believe that the characters might be safe and fully expected some to drop dead from the chaotic battles around them. There was always a rough tension about who would live and who would die, with no guarantee of how things would turn out. 

Overall, it is a brilliant piece of alternate history which shows you don't need a flashy point of divergence, some radical new technology, or even a battle lost, to change history. Instead, a small change can create big ripples which are well populated by characters who help tell an engaging story. That was, in truth, what Eric Flint always did. The genre is richer for him, and I merely hope we can find more story tellers of his caliber.